Wolf On Trial
by Blue and Dog
Summary: Wolf is arrested and at long last faces the court. But he's the kind of guy to make the best of a bad situation. (M-rated for future chapters)
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Wooooow. I haven't been here since at least 2006. So, I'm going to be posting a new story. Here it is.

_Please note that this story contains original characters. Their profiles can be found on my deviantart; **the page is on my profile for those who want to learn!**  
_

* * *

When Ulric O'Donnell stood trial in that same courtroom twenty years ago, he ranted about the writing he saw on the walls, and the ghosts standing behind the jury.

He was always a fantastic actor. It helped that the judge back then was in his friend the Don's pocket.

Wolf wasn't so lucky. While it was true he had a longtime, casually intimate friendship with the current Don (the Donna, actually—the previous one's daughter), and she did have a few judges under her influence, this wasn't one of them. Not that having a crooked judge would help—if he got off scot-free, it would definitely look suspicious.

He wondered if the rest of his team got back to base safely. He wondered who it was who pulled his unconscious body from his crashed Wolfen after McCloud shot him down. Not that it mattered who at this point; two bailiffs on either side of Wolf escorted him into the courthouse, brushing away reporters dying to get a glimpse of the criminal. In a sharp contrast to his father's staged rantings, Wolf looked straight ahead, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

The courtroom was no different, with all eyes bearing down on him, some with pity, some with fear, but most with a misplaced satisfaction. He wondered where McCloud was; knowing him, the pup was probably watching front and center, if not simply watching the televised trial.

The typical courtroom proceedings were hurried through; the judge, an aging ram, was beginning to read off the charges:

"25 counts of manslaughter,"

Only 25? He could have sworn he did more. Though, all the people he offed when under contract with Donna Camilla probably didn't count…after all, no one found the bodies yet.

"4 counts of war crimes against Lylatian government,"

Okay, that sounded about right.

"45 counts of grand theft,"

Oh, you have _no_ idea, he thought.

"17 counts of first-degree murder,"

Hey, he wasn't responsible for at least six of those; they attacked him first. Verbally or physically didn't matter.

Also, yet again, there were some bodies not found. And some people they couldn't prove he killed.

"2 counts of arson, 10 counts of disorderly conduct, 5 counts of drug distribution, 6 counts of extortion, and 15 counts of aggravated assault."

Really? That was all? Well, better not to make it worse.

"Mr. O'Donnell, how do you plead?"

His attorney stood from his seat—a young reptile; new blood, not used to the harshness of court. He probably thought that representing Wolf would boost his career. Idiot.

"My client would like to plead no contest."

Actually, Wolf didn't put in a plea at all. He didn't feel like talking to anyone.

The rest of the trial continued smoothly, with the jury only taking a matter of minutes to decide the verdict. Now for the sentence. Probably would be death, but there were a few people in the Donna's pocket who could get him out alive.

"The court hereby finds Mr. Wolf O'Donnell guilty of all charges."

No shit.

"The initial sentence was to be death; however, a statement has been given by Mr. Fox McCloud detailing Mr. O'Donnell's actions during the Aparoid Invasion. As a result, his sentence has been reduced to life without chance of parole."

McCloud? Figured. He didn't want the blood on his own hands to have a name attached to it.

"Mr. O'Donnell will be sent to the Banquo Maximum Security Satellite circling Macbeth, effective immediately."

Banquo? He heard of that place. Borderline inescapable, armed to the teeth, and even the Donna didn't have any inside men that weren't behind bars. But maybe…just maybe…he could turn this into something highly beneficial. As Wolf was led out, his mind was already hard at work, formulating a plan.

This was going to be good.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: As mentioned in chapter I, there are original characters in this plot. For their appearances and profiles, please go to my profile page; a link is provided there.**_

The Banquo satellite. The most secure prison satellite in Lylat. If the court was concerned you would escape, they would put you there. There were multiple floors, arranged neatly in a circular structure; each one had a strong, shatterproof panel, iron bars and infrared lasers. Prisoners had begun developing ways to communicate from across the prison, and guards were studying these methods intensely.

During the day, those who weren't deemed too dangerous to be let out were taken down to Macbeth, where they would do mining work under heavy observation. Otherwise…they would bide their time, waiting their sentences away, trying to cheat the ever-vigilant eye of the warden.

Warden Thurston March was seventy-five. Despite his age, the eagle was still alert and hard at work. He was healthy, active, and still not someone to be crossed. And he was excited. Everyone wanted to be the one to say "Yes, _the _Wolf O'Donnell is at my prison." March had always known O'Donnell would wind up at Banquo; he finally had the satisfaction.

The doors to the hangar opened, as both guards and prisoners looked up, eager to see the new arrival. And they weren't disappointed; Wolf was escorted in by two armed guards. He didn't look angry or annoyed at all; in fact, he appeared to be rather neutral about the whole situation he was in…actually quite _bored_. But March wasn't bored; no, sir. Wolf was brought to him.

"Wolf O'Donnell's finally been brought in. I thought I'd never live to see the day."

"Cut pretty close," Wolf responded, "How long did it take you to walk over here?"

"Cheeky to the end." He looked up to the guards. "I want him placed on the top floor. His cell is already prepared for him."

"Oh, wonderful," Wolf rolled his eye, as he was led to the elevator. There were three stops to run security checks; Wolf was confirmed to have absolutely nothing on him that could aid him in an escape, and on the third stop his cybernetic eye was deactivated.

The top hall was rather quiet, with the cells each secured by a sole guard. Each prisoner secured there was by himself, rather than sharing a cell like those below.

"Oh, so I'm going to be all by myself?" Wolf feigned disappointment.

The group passed by a cell containing an older badger, who was playing a small piano brought to his cell.

"You're gettin' better, Addy," his guard said.

"Warren Addy?" Wolf's ear twitched. "You were out and about when my old man was around."

"Ulric's boy," he responded, his accent thick, "Shame you wound up here. But it's not so bad."

"In you go, O'Donnell," a guard opened the door to the adjacent cell, Wolf strolling in. The magnets in his handcuffs deactivated, as he turned to face the guards.

"Warden's gettin' our best to watch you, O'Donnell. Might wanna get comfy while you wait."

Wolf took in his cell. A bed, a latrine, a desk, a chair.

"Yeah. I'll get real comfy."

As his escorts left, Wolf sat on the bed.

"You'll get more things as you mind your manners," Warren said from the other cell. It was then that Wolf noticed the speaker built into the adjacent wall. "Least you can have someone to talk to. You'd go mad otherwise."

"I'm not so sure I won't go mad as is."

Wolf lay down, staring up at the ceiling. He needed to know more about this place's layout before he could do anything.

* * *

"Donna Camilla," Lulu's voice came through the intercom placed beside the Donna's bed, "The Star Wolf team is here."

"As I thought they would," Camilla said, putting her PDA aside as she got off the bed, "Tell them to wait in my office. Wake Tiga for me, as well."

"She never fell asleep; she's already waiting."

"Fair enough," she put on her jacket, buttoning it up, "Alright, I'm on my way."

True to Lulu's word, the remaining members of the Star Wolf team stood before the Donna's desk: Leon Powalski, acting as de facto leader in Wolf's absence; Panther Caruso, who had cast bedroom eyes at Tiga and been met with a crazed glare; and lastly, Quetzal Cortez, the newest recruit.

"Good to see all of you are in one piece," Camilla said, taking her seat, "Leon, how are things?"

"You know how they are," Leon responded, "Wolf's in jail and we failed our mission."

"But why did you come to me? You all weren't on a mission for me."

"You know damn well why we came to you!" Quetzal snapped, only for Panther to tug on his tailfeathers and cause him to jerk back, shutting up. Leon cast a sideways glare, before looking back to Camilla.

"You are Wolf's closest business associate, and our most frequent employer. I would infer that you owe us a favor and would help us get Wolf out of Banquo—"

"Stop right there," she put a hand up, "I owe you nothing. I would commission your services; that does not count as you doing me a favor."

"Wolf's done you a lot of favors," Quetzal argued, "If not recently, then definitely when you two were growing up."

"Fair enough, but we both agreed I repaid him by being a client. In fact, he owes _me_ for saving _you_ from death, Quetzal, when he found you nearly dead and sticking out of a drainage ditch."

Quetzal fell silent again.

"Donna Camilla," Panther spoke up, "I can tell just by looking at you. You want to do something. Wolf is more than an excellent mercenary; he's your friend. I believe you're simply looking for something to gain from helping us…besides the obvious."

"True," Camilla pulled up the holo-screen on her computer. "But think about this: has Wolf ever let any setback stop him?"

Silence.

"Didn't think so. I say wait to see if he makes a move."

* * *

"You're still awake, Fox?"

Fox McCloud jerked slightly as Krystal's voice startled him; he turned away from the screen, looking at her. "Krystal…"

"You're worried he'll get out, aren't you?"

"Yeah…he's not the kind of person to take this sitting down. The fact that he didn't even put up a fight in court was concerning enough."

"I agree. But what can we do short of checking on him?"

"…I'm considering that."

"It's out of our hands, Fox; he's in prison now. We're mercenaries; we can only act if he does something."

"I know…that's the most painstaking part of this."


	3. Chapter 3

**As mentioned before, this story contains a few original characters. For their appearances and biographies, please consult the link on my profile. Thank you!**

* * *

Was it really a good idea to let all the inmates be able to interact?

Well, why not? The inmates were watched like they were prey anyway.

There were three floors for inmates to eat their meals and interact with each other. They typically could go between floors without checking in with a guard; their inmate bands would give off a signal when they used the stairs.

"So, how'd it happen?" Warren asked, walking alongside Wolf with a slight hobble.

"You didn't hear about it?"

"I was given the choice between a television and a piano. I chose the piano."

Wolf sighed. "Dogfight with Star Fox. Got shot down, but this time I couldn't eject in time. Some whiplash and a little head trauma later, here I am."

"Isn't that a bitch."

"Pretty much, yeah. What about you?"

"A moment of poor planning and the feds found where I was hiding."

"I think I remember hearing about that. My dad might have talked about it."

"No doubt to prove to you some point about preparation."

"As a matter of fact, yeah."

"Ah, we're here."

The commotion of the room quieted considerably as the pair entered. A few inmates chose to exit the room.

"Oh, don't stop the party just for us," Wolf said, "Carry on."

"You think you're a hotshot, O'Donnell?" an inmate taunted; a large beaver, snapping a plastic knife in his hands.

"A bigger hotshot than you, probably," Wolf shrugged.

"What was that?"

"Stand down, Martens," a guard said, "and O'Donnell, watch your mouth."

"Making friends on his first day in prison; daddy's so proud," Warren muttered.

"Shut up."

Slowly but steadily, the noise picked back up, as Wolf took a seat beside Warren with their first meal of the day.

"Ah, mass-produced food," Warren mused, "Lifeless and ugly. Like this prison."

"You're no spring chicken either," Wolf snickered.

"True enough."

As their meal progressed, Wolf was glancing around. There had to be something he could exploit; some sort of structural weakness or loophole within the patrols of the guards.

"Surveying?" Warren snickered, "I did the same for a long time. They never caught on."

"Oh?" Wolf looked up, immediately interested. Perhaps befriending this man was his ticket to escaping…and maybe taking a few new recruits with him.

"I kept track of my findings in a few, small notes…well hidden enough that they never even found them when they did a routine search of my cell. Oh, by the way, they love doing that while you're asleep."

"Great."

"I can slip my findings to you next time we're out. Unlike most of these idiots you and I have to be escorted everywhere we go."

Wolf shook his head, a chuckle escaping him. "It's a pain to be famous."

* * *

"Donna." Tiga approached Camilla as she oversaw the repairs on the Wolfens. She allowed the Star Wolf team to use her facilities until they heard from Wolf, and so far, no sign. For now, Leon was waiting for any sort of sign from Wolf; Panther had gone to trying to seduce Camilla's assistant, Lulu, while Quetzal was using the training deck, with Camilla's techs making sure his heart implant was still at optimum efficiency.

"Is something bothering you, Tiga?" Camilla turned to face her bodyguard.

"I would like to make an offer."

"Oh?"

"I would like to try and infiltrate Banquo. Perhaps that way we can reach Wolf."

"Quite unusual for you to suggest something. What's gotten into you?"

Tiga's fists clenched and unclenched, as she looked to the side.

"I have never had a friend. But knowing Wolf is yours….friends are good things, yes? I want to help."

"I'm quite surprised at you. You barely even like Wolf. Have you changed your mind?"

"I don't hate him."

Camilla fell quiet, looking back at the Wolfens.

"I'll think about it, Tiga. I don't know a lot about Banquo. I don't like sending people in uninformed."

"The best cure for lack of information is getting it," Tiga said, "You told me that once. I know my missions are usually to kill people. But this time is different—"

"I said I'll think about it."

The sharpness of Camilla's tone solidified the conversation's end.

* * *

"You ain't goin' by yourself," Falco Lombardi protested, as Fox had announced his intentions.

"I was hoping you'd say that. I may be going to the most secure prison in Lylat, but I don't want to go there by myself. Thanks for volunteering, Falco."

"Hey, I wasn't volunteerin', I was just—"

"You volunteered," chorused Slippy, Krystal and Peppy. The avian grunted, crossing his arms.

"We'll head out first thing tomorrow," Fox continued, "I want the rest of you to be ready to fly just in case."

"You got it!" Slippy saluted, as Fox headed off to his quarters. Falco shook his head, before pursuing him.

"Hey, wait up a sec."

"What?" Fox looked over.

"You're really wound up since we put Wolf away. You'd think you'd unwind a bit more."

"You know just as well as I do that Wolf can be unpredictable. Never think that just because he's one person he can't do much. That kind of thinking..."

"Could get me in trouble, yeah," Falco shrugged. "But even if he tried something, progress would be really slow considerin' how things are said to be run in Banquo."

"Why let it progress slowly when we can stop it in its tracks?"

"I get what you're saying, but what if this is all a false alarm?"

"Then it's a false alarm and I admit I was worried unnecessarily," Fox nodded, passing through the doors to his quarters, as he pulled up the holo-screen on his computer. "But I think I'm being reasonable. We're not the only ones with friends in high places-Wolf has friends in the lowest."

"You're talkin' about the Donna."

"She'll only act if something will benefit her business. Wolf was her favorite mercenary and her friend. Who knows if she'll pull something...or if she already has?"

* * *

"Well, how was your first day?" Warren asked, walking with Wolf as they were escorted back to their cells for lights-out.

"I'm guessing there'll probably be many more like it."

"Wolf." Warren suddenly gripped his wrist, right above where one of his cuffs was firmly attached. He could feel something being pushed in between the metal and his fur. "Thanks for taking the time to speak with me."

As he let go, Wolf rubbed his arm. "Yeah…sure."

They entered their cells, Wolf sitting down on the bed. As he sat on his bed and pulled the sheets up, he pulled the object slipped under his cuff out. It was folded up paper.

Warren's notes.

Checking that the guard had turned away, and noting the angle of the camera within his cell, he carefully, quietly, unfolded the sheet.


End file.
